Lincoln's speech in English. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Ended with the victory of the army of the North over the Confederates.
The carefully crafted address, which was to be just one of the items on the program for that day, went down in the history of the country as one of the greatest speeches that touched on nationally significant topics. The speech lasted just over two minutes and consisted of 272 words. In it, the president turned to the principles of equality, once proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, and assessed the Civil War in a new way: as a struggle for the preservation of the United States, which would be accompanied by a “rebirth of freedom” (“a new birth of freedom”), designed to grant true equality of rights for all citizens and to preserve the union of states as one state in which all citizens will be equal.
The full text of the Gettysburg Address is carved on a stone slab that is part of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
Background
On October 17, 1863, the reburial of the remains of the Northern soldiers who fell in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, began. Member of the Dedication Commission National Cemetery At Gettysburg, David Wills invited President Lincoln "as Commander-in-Chief to make a few remarks appropriate to the occasion to formally commit this land to its sacred purpose." The culmination of the program was to be the solemn speech of Edward Everett, statesman, governor of Massachusetts, president Harvard University, Secretary of State and an experienced speaker. Everett was extremely popular as a speaker; despite the fact that the hall that was allocated for one of his performances could accommodate several thousand people, a crowd of people formed at the entrance who could not get inside, but wanted to break through to the performance. As for Lincoln, the president's speech was intended to be a complement to Everett's speech.
According to reports, Everett was invited to speak in advance, and the planned ceremony date had to be postponed by almost a month to give him the opportunity to carefully prepare his speech. Lincoln received the invitation just two weeks before the planned event. This was due to the fact that most members of Congress and the Cabinet declined the invitation to attend, so the event organizers hesitated for a long time whether to ask the President to speak. Lincoln agreed.
Lincoln's short address, lasting no more than two minutes, provided a sharp contrast to Edward Everett's two-hour monologue, which was clothed in rich historical context, replete with allusions and discussions on the topic of war.
It is worth noting that Everett's speech corresponded to all the canons of classical speeches of that time. A New York Times columnist writes that Everett, a lifelong student of antiquity, ancient Greek culture and oratorical art, who knew how to handle Greek cultural images perfectly, used all his strength to prepare his speech. The speech was not his first; Everett often spoke at ceremonies of this kind and, apparently, saw them as best opportunity prove himself as a speaker who is able to place his statement in a broad historical and cultural context. In order to prepare, he again delved into the study of the heritage of the Greeks, talking with local historians and military experts who told him about the details of the battle.
Text of the Gettysburg Address
Eighty-seven years have passed since our fathers founded on this continent a new nation, born of freedom and convinced that all men are born equal. We are now undergoing the great test of civil war, which will decide whether this nation, or any nation like it by birth or calling, can stand. We came together on the field where the great battle of this war raged. We have come to consecrate a part of this land - the final resting place of those who gave their lives for the life of this nation. And this in itself is quite appropriate and worthy.
But still, it is not in our power to consecrate this field, to make it sacred, to spiritualize this land. Thanks to the deeds of the brave men, dead and alive, who fought here, this land is already sacred, and it is not in our humble power to add or subtract anything. What we say here will be only briefly noticed and soon forgotten, but what they did here will never be forgotten. Let us, the living, devote ourselves to the unfinished work that these warriors accomplished here. Let's dedicate ourselves here great work, which lies ahead of us, and we will be filled with even greater determination to devote ourselves to the goal to which those who fell here gave themselves entirely and to the end. Let us solemnly swear that their deaths will not be in vain, that this God-protected nation will find a restored freedom and that the power of the people, by the will of the people and for the people will not disappear from the face of the earth.
Original text(English)
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who suffered here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from the se honored dead we took increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Some time after the event, Everett wrote the following lines to Lincoln: “I will be glad if I can flatter myself with the thought that in two hours I managed to get so close to central idea this event, how did you manage to do it in two minutes.” Lincoln responded that he was glad to hear that the speech was not "a complete failure."
Despite the importance given to speech in US history, there are differing academic opinions regarding exact wording. The text of the speech exists in several versions. In addition, in the transcripts of the speech in newspaper publications of that day, there are also differences in phrase construction, text structure and punctuation.
The text of the speech exists in five versions, all of which belong to Lincoln's hand. Lincoln provided one copy each to his secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. Other versions of the text appeared later, after the speech. Lincoln sent one of them to Everett, who wished to include Lincoln's address in the collection along with his speech. Later, at the request of historian George Bancroft, author of a ten-volume History of the United States, who wished to include the autograph of the speech in his work, Lincoln sent a copy to him. Since the text turned out to be written on the front and on back side, it was impossible to fit on one page, so Lincoln had to write another copy of the speech, the text of which is considered official. It is known as "the Bliss copy", after Bancroft's stepson to whom it was addressed. However, discrepancies in newspaper publications contribute to the persistence of uncertainty regarding the written and oral originals of speech.
Impact on society, culture
While the reaction of his contemporaries was mixed, over time, Lincoln's speech became an important component of American identity. The emphasis in the speech is placed in such a way that the victory of one side or another in the war becomes less important than movement towards a common goal. Calling to remember “how our fathers founded a new nation on this continent”, Lincoln thereby refers to a certain fundamental element that is unshakable for all Americans. The American listening to the speech is obviously conflicted between this fundamental element of his identity as a nation and what each side stands for. As R. Gamble notes, “in 1863 the expression “to be a nation” had a completely different meaning compared to the era French Revolution. Now the term “nation” meant an organized “people”, united in its essence and arising as a result of the action of the forces of Providence to fulfill a unique mission.
The text of the Gettysburg Address is inscribed on a slab that is part of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Phrases from speech are often used in popular culture as well as other texts.
Reaction
The reaction of contemporaries to Lincoln's speech was not unambiguous. The Democratic newspaper Chicago Times wrote: “Every American should feel a sting of shame at such stupid, superficial and muddy statements uttered by a man who is introduced to educated foreigners as the President of the United States.” Among foreign newspapers there were also those who expressed criticism. Thus, The Times of London wrote: “Thanks to the awkward remarks of that pathetic President Lincoln, the ceremony at Gettysburg looked absolutely ridiculous.” At the same time, the New York Times responded positively to the speech and published it in full.
Eyewitness accounts are also contradictory. In the 1931 memoirs of Sarah A. Cooke Myers, who attended Lincoln's speech as a 19-year-old girl, it is written: “I stood close to the President and heard the entire speech, but it seemed short. Then there was an amazing silence... No one applauded when he finished speaking." Some other authors also note that there was silence after Lincoln's speech, which can be interpreted in different ways: this could either be a manifestation of bewilderment caused by such a short address, or evidence that the audience was deeply impressed by the words spoken.
The meaning of speech. Different points of view
Many commentators note that the effect produced by Lincoln's speech owes in no small part to its brevity and laconism. At the same time, given the fact that audiences of that time were more accustomed to long, intense speeches like Everett's, the effect of Lincoln's speech should have been more perplexing to the public. According to the testimony of Benjamin French, who led diary entries for Everett, “the entire huge crowd stood in silence as they listened to Mr. Everett, many with tears streaming down their cheeks during his superb performance.” Thus, Everett's speech was obviously no less worthy of attention and was not inferior to Lincoln's speech in terms of the impression it made on the public. Nevertheless, the President's speech gained great fame and became an important part of the American national identity. Probably, we are talking about a combination of several factors: brevity and at the same time high semantic load of speech, appeal to high ideals; it is also possible that after Everett's two-hour speech the audience was so tired that Lincoln's short, inspiring address was received doubly approvingly. In addition, due to its small size, Lincoln's speech could easily be transmitted by telegraph; any newspaper could afford to print it in full. This, in turn, contributed to its spread among the general public.
Lincoln's Speech as an Element of Civil Religion
Lincoln's speech consists of large generalizations containing meta-ideas of freedom, equality, etc. It does not mention specific details, such as the location of the battle, the names of the fallen, etc. Thus, this makes its existence possible outside specific historical context. The American Conservative author Richard Gamble writes that such a speech “could have been delivered in virtually any battle in any war for ‘freedom’ in the 19th century and beyond. Perhaps it is these empty spaces in Lincoln's speech that explain it long life and practical value beyond 1863—and even beyond American borders."
The article further develops the idea that Lincoln's speech appealed to those ideas that became part of the American "civil religion", which is why it has not been erased from memory: "Into this empty vessel Lincoln placed the most powerful ideas of the 19th century - the ideas of nationalism, democracy and romanticism." idealism. Taken together, these ideas are inseparable from modern American self-understanding. They have become part of our civil religion and what we should call our “civil history” and “civil philosophy” - that is, religion, history and philosophy which we profess not for their own sake or for the sake of truth, but which we use as management tools to tell instructive stories about the people, their identity and mission.”
Another explanation why Lincoln's speech became so significant for American culture, there may be references to the biblical context present in it. Literary scholar M.E. Bradford analyzed the Gettysburg Address in the 1970s and concluded that the "biblical language" of the Gettysburg Address was its "most important formal property." "In his speech, Lincoln borrowed archaic words and rhythm biblical texts, starting it with words about “eight tens”, echoing the lines of one of David’s psalms about the number of years allotted to a person on Earth. Then he remembered how the fathers “brought forth” a new nation, and these words of his echo the lines about the birth of Jesus by Mary - this is the first stage of what then turns into a repeating image of conception, birth, life, death and the new birth, culminating in the promise of eternal life in the words “let him not perish” (Gospel of John 3:16: “so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”). Thus, we can say that religious motifs and images are used as an element of civil religion.
Sociologist Robert Bellah said that the Civil War and Lincoln's speech gave America a "new testament" for civic faith: "Gettysburg symbolism ("for those who gave their lives that our nation might survive"), according to is essentially Christian, but at the same time it has nothing to do with the Christian church.”
As the author of the article believes, main strength Lincoln’s speech was that he offered Americans a certain proposition, a basic premise, guided by which the nation becomes “teleocratic” (Michael Oakeshott’s term), that is, its existence is subordinated to following a certain idea, in other words, a mission, as opposed to “ "nomocratic" nation, whose existence is guided by the implementation of the law.
It can be assumed that the current American interpretation of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the meaning of the War of Independence and the Civil War as successive stages on the path to freedom and democracy were laid down precisely in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
In 1846, Lincoln became a member of the US Congress, after the collapse of the Whig party, in which he was a member, he accepted Active participation in building Republican Party. In 1860, he was elected President of the United States, the first from the Republicans. Even before Lincoln officially took office, on December 20, 1860, South Carolina adopted the so-called “Ordinance of Secession,” which effectively meant separation from the United States.
Several other states soon followed, eventually forming the Southern Confederacy. On April 12, 1861, Confederates opened fire on the Federal Fort Sumter and captured it the next day. This marked the beginning of the American Civil War, which became a confrontation between opponents (northerners) and supporters (southerners) of slavery. The president, who had spent his entire life championing the idea of freedom for all, took command of the Northern army.
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in the history of the United States of America. The President spoke it on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the National Soldiers' Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Four and a half months earlier, the decisive Battle of Gettysburg, which ended in a Northern victory, claimed many lives.
Eight score and seven years ago our fathers created on this continent a new nation, conceived in freedom and believing that all men are born equal.
We are now engaged in a great civil war which is testing our nation's ability to endure, or any other nation conceived in the same way and professing the same ideals.
We meet today on the great battlefield of this war. We meet to dedicate part of it to those for whom it became the last refuge, to those who gave their lives so that our nation could survive. From all points of view, this is an appropriate and entirely correct step.
But in a broader sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot sanctify, we cannot make this land holy. The brave men, living and dead, who fought here have already performed the rite of such initiation, and not in our weak forces add or subtract something.
The world is unlikely to notice or remember for long what we say here, but it will not be able to forget what they did here. Rather, it is we, the living, who should devote ourselves to completing the work they began, on which those who fought here before us worked with such nobility.
Rather, it is we, the living, who must devote ourselves to the great task that still faces us - to take from these glorious dead even greater devotion to the cause to which they remained fully and completely faithful, to be filled with the conviction that they are dead It is not in vain that our nation, with God's help, will be reborn in freedom and that the power of the people, created by the will of the people and for the people, will not disappear from the face of the earth.
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln took the presidential oath of office for the second time. He called on his fellow citizens to “show mercy to everyone.” However, on April 14, while visiting a theater in Washington, a Southern fanatic seriously wounded Lincoln. Without regaining consciousness, at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died.
The full text of the Gettysburg Address is carved on a stone slab that is part of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
Eighty-seven years ago our fathers founded on this continent a new nation, bred in freedom and devoted to the principle that all men are created equal.
We are now engaged in a great Civil War, which is testing whether this nation, or any other, educated in the same spirit and devoted to the same ideals, can continue to exist. We met now on the field of one of greatest battles this war. We have come here to set aside a portion of this field as a final resting place for those who gave their lives here that this nation might live. It is very right that we do this.
However, by and large, we do not sanctify and we do not glorify this land. Those brave people, living and dead, who fought here, have already sanctified and glorified it and did it much more successfully than we - we, with our insignificant forces, can neither add nor subtract anything. The world will hardly notice, and will not long remember what they did here. We who live here must devote ourselves to solving those unfinished works which those who fought here so nobly carried out. We must devote ourselves to the great task that still lies before us. It is from these men, who died with honor, that we must receive deep devotion to the cause they so faithfully served. We must here solemnly declare that they did not die in vain and that our nation, with the blessing of God, will find a new revival of freedom and that government of the people, by the people and for the people, will never perish from the face of the earth.
Abraham Lincoln - "Gettysburg Address", 1863
Speech given by Lincoln in November 1863 at the dedication of the memorial cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Lincoln's shortest speech (only 2 minutes).
Yulia Rostovskaya
The American Civil War 1861-1865 is so controversial historical event that a century and a half later, American citizens are divided between those who defend the North and those who defend the South. The war claimed about 600 thousand lives, which at that time was simply a colossal figure. The whole paradox is that Americans killed Americans, brothers killed brothers. It took a lot of strength for the nation to reunite and forget past grievances inflicted on each other. During the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg always stands apart, because it was not only a turning point in favor of the northerners, but also the most terrible and bloody.
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1 to July 3, 1863, and took place in Pennsylvania. Despite the seemingly short duration of the battle, about 50 thousand people died in these three days, famous generals of the Confederate army were killed, such as Armistead, Avery, Pender, Pettigrew and many others. The commanders-in-chief of the armies in this battle were famous and truly talented people Robert E. Lee (Southern Army) and George Meade (Northern Army). Before the Battle of Gettysburg, General Lee was considered invincible and omnipotent; even after the retreat of the southern army across the Potomac, southerners continued to believe in their commander-in-chief, considering the retreat not a loss, but a necessity. In fact, the victory of the northerners was already destined.
The Battle of Gettysburg is truly one of the most significant and famous not only during the Civil War, but in the entire history of the United States. Not in vain great amount tourists, and even Americans themselves, often come to Gettysburg national memorial in Pennsylvania. The initiative to found this memorial was announced on July 25, 1863. It was necessary that posterity could see the place where the fate of the nation was decided, as well as the place where the triumph of the Union army took place. The memorial is now called Gettysburg National Military Park and is the largest military park in America.
It was here, on Gettysburg Field, that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech, which is still called a model of oratory today. The Gettysburg Address contains only 272 words, its size is not large, but deep meaning, embedded in it, and the feelings with which Lincoln delivered his speech, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, make it truly convincing, bright, strong and memorable. On November 19, 1863, the president delivered this speech at Gettysburg Cemetery, where thousands of those who died fighting for the Union were buried. The civil war was still ongoing, and people needed faith and strength not to retreat. After all, after the Battle of Gettysburg, many thought about the price that had to be paid for maintaining the unity of the state and for preserving the values that the Founding Fathers passed on to future generations.
Lincoln spoke for only 3 minutes. The text was as follows:
“Eight score and seven years ago our fathers formed on this continent a new nation, conceived in freedom and believing that all men are born equal. We are now engaged in a great Civil War, testing our nation, or any nation similarly conceived and professing the same ideals, to the test of its ability to endure. We meet today on the great battlefield of this war. We meet to make part of it the final refuge for those who gave their lives so that our nation could survive. From all points of view, this is an appropriate and absolutely correct step. But in a broader sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot bless, we cannot honor this land. The brave men, living and dead, who fought here have already performed the rite of such initiation, and it is not in our weak power to add or subtract anything. The world will hardly notice or remember for long what we say here, but it will not be able to forget what they have done here. Rather, it is we who live who should devote ourselves to completing the work they began, which those who fought here before us worked so nobly on. Rather, it is we who are living who should devote ourselves to the great task still before us - to take from these honored dead an even greater commitment to the cause to which they remained fully and completely faithful, to be filled with the conviction that they did not die in vain “that our nation, with God’s help, will be reborn in freedom and that the power of the people, by the will of the people and for the people, will not disappear from the face of the Earth.”
During his speech, Lincoln was able to convince the people that no one died in vain, because the soldiers fought for freedom and democracy, for the unity of the nation, which means it is necessary to continue their work and fight to the end. He believed in giving to all people equal rights and freedoms, in the equality of the states, and with his faith and words he helped others to believe. Abraham himself spent almost his entire life fighting for his ideals, including the liberation of slaves. It is this president who owns so much famous phrase: It is said that “a house divided cannot stand.” I think that the government of our country, consisting of half slaves and half free, cannot stand.” You could even probably say that Lincoln sacrificed his life for his ideals.
There are many versions regarding the sources that the president used while preparing his speech. Harry Wills notes similarities in the organization of Lincoln's speech and Pericles' speech during the Peloponnesian War. There is also a version that Lincoln borrowed the most recognizable phrase of the Gettysburg Address, “the government of the people, by the will of the people, for the people,” from the sermons and lectures of the minister and reformer of the Unitarian Church, Theodore Parker. Some people believe that Lincoln thought out the speech on his own, that he worked long and hard on it, rewrote it several times, thinking about the words on the road and at home.
An interesting fact is that there are five copies of the manuscript of Lincoln's speech. The President gave a copy to each of his personal secretaries, John Nicholas and John Hay. These copies are located in the Library of Congress and are kept there under special conditions at a certain temperature. A third copy was given to Edward Everett, who also spoke at the November 19 dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg Field. Everett collected speeches dedicated to the Battle of Gettysburg. The manuscript now belongs to the Illinois State Historical Library. Lincoln wrote the fourth copy for George Bancroft, a famous American historian, at his personal request in February 1864. Currently located in the Cornell University Library. The fifth copy went to Alexander Bliss, a publicist and Bancroft's adopted son. Nowadays it is located in the White House in the Lincoln Room.
Eighty-seven years ago our fathers founded on this continent a new nation, conceived in the spirit of liberty and professing the principle that all men are created equal.
We are now engaged in a great civil war, which will show whether this nation, or any other nation thus conceived and devoted to the same idea, can long endure. We are gathered on the great battlefield of this war. We have come here to dedicate a portion of this field as the final resting place of those who gave their lives that this nation might live. By doing this we are only fulfilling our duty in a dignified manner.
But in a broader sense, we cannot dedicate, sanctify, or honor this land. Brave people, the living and the dead who fought here have already consecrated it, and it is not in our weak power to add or take anything away. The world will have a short memory of what we say here, but it can never forget what these people accomplished. We who live should first of all devote ourselves to the unfinished work that has hitherto been so nobly accomplished by those who fought on this field. We who have gathered here must first of all devote ourselves to this great task that falls to our lot:
to perceive in these noble dead an increased devotion to the common cause for which they died honorably, giving all they could;
firmly resolve that these deaths will not be in vain;
to restore anew—under the rule of God—this nation free;
and make sure that this government of the people, created by the people and for the people does not disappear from the face of the earth.
(272 historical words)
« ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY..."
John Kennedy's speech
“Today we are not celebrating the victory of one party, but we are present at a ceremony in honor of freedom... For I have taken an oath before you and before God, that solemn oath, the text of which was compiled by our ancestors 175 years ago. The modern world has become different. Man today has the ability to destroy all forms of poverty, as well as all forms of life. The revolutionary idea for which our ancestors fought, the idea of human rights granted by God, and not by the grace of the state, has spread throughout the planet. Here and now, I declare to the world that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, shaped by war, raised in a harsh and bitter peace, proud of the heritage they have received, and determined not to be witnesses or complicit in the destruction of these human rights, which our country has always defended and which today we will defend both in our country and throughout the world. To our old allies... we promise ours: loyalty. United, we can do anything... Divided, we can do nothing. New states. whom we admit into the ranks of free nations, we say: one form of colonial rule has not been abolished to be replaced by another, much more merciless tyranny. We do not ask them to always fight alongside us. But we hope that they will always be ready to fight for their freedom. We hope that they remember how in the past some madmen who wanted to become omnipotent tried to pacify the tiger, but ended up falling into its mouth. To the people living in huts and villages, who make up half the world's population and are trying to free themselves from the shackles of poverty, we promise to do everything to help them learn to help themselves... To the republics located south of our borders, we offer: beautiful words into action, to create an alliance for the sake of progress, to help the people and governments of free countries to break the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution must not fall prey to hostile forces. Let all our neighbors know that we will stand with them to resist aggression and subversion throughout the Americas. And let other powers know that the countries of the Western Hemisphere intend to remain masters of their home. We once again pledge our support to the world assembly of sovereign nations that is the United Nations... Finally, to the countries that act as our adversaries, we make a formal proposal: let us begin together to seek the path to peace before the dark forces of destruction unleashed by science lead to to the deliberate or accidental destruction of all humanity. Two large and powerful groups of countries should not accept the current state of affairs. Both are burdened by the costs of modern weapons, both are justifiably alarmed by the growing threat of atomic death, and yet each of them seeks to upset in its favor the fragile balance of fear that is holding back so far from a military explosion that will mean the end of humanity. Therefore, let's begin to discuss problems together once again, remembering that politeness does not mean weakness and that sincerity must be confirmed by deeds. Let serious proposals for inspection and arms control be put forward for the first time on one side and the other, and let the absolute power that can destroy countries be brought under the absolute control of all countries...) let us together explore the stars, conquer deserts, eradicate diseases , explore the oceans and encourage art and trade... And if the first successes of cooperation lead to the elimination of suspicion, then both sides can unite for the successful solution of a new task - the creation of a kingdom of law, where the strong are just, the weak are safe, and peace in general - protected. All this is unrealistic to accomplish in the first hundred days. Not even in the first thousand days, not even throughout all the days of the new administration. Maybe our entire life will not be enough for this. But don't let that stop us from at least getting started. The final success or failure of our undertaking depends on you, my dear fellow citizens, even more than on me. Since the earliest days of our nation's founding, each new generation of Americans has brought proof of their loyalty to their country. The graves of young Americans who responded to her call are scattered throughout the land. And again the trumpet calls us: but this time we're talking about not about a call to arms, although we need arms; This is not a call to battle, although we are fighting; today the trumpet calls us to take upon ourselves the heavy burden of great effort and carry it throughout the year, remaining “happy in hope and patient in failure,” efforts directed against our common enemies: tyranny, poverty, disease, and even war itself. Are we able to create against these enemies a formidable and firm alliance from North to South and from East to West, which will provide all humanity with a more dignified life? Will we join in this historic endeavor? In the long history of the world, only a few generations have had the responsibility of defending freedom when it was most endangered. I will not refuse such a duty: I will accept it with great joy. I don't think any of us would want to change places with another people or another generation. The energy, faith, devotion that we bring to this endeavor, like a flame, will illuminate our country and all those who devote themselves to it. This flame will illuminate the whole world. Therefore, my dear countrymen, do not ask what your country can do for you. Ask yourself what you can do for your country. And you, citizens of the countries of the world, do not ask what America will do for you. Ask what you can do for human freedom. Whether you are an American citizen or a citizen of another country, you can demand as much effort and sacrifice from us as we can demand from you. Having our only reward is our conscience and our only judge is history, let us lead our beloved country forward, asking the Almighty for blessings and help, but not forgetting that here on earth, the work of the Lord must be done with our hands.”
